Triple Trouble (7 page)

AT LUNCH

I left my class.

Ox was there waiting for me. He looked very cute. But not very pleased. He arched an eyebrow at me.

“I can explain,” I said immediately.

“You can explain why you impersonated your sister for the VOGS cast?” Ox asked. “I thought you two were done switching places so you wouldn't get into any more trouble.”

“I know.” I nodded. We walked together down the hall, and I explained what happened.

“So I didn't know that I was
doing
the interviewing as Payton. I thought I was
being
interviewed as Emma.
So, as you can see, I had no other alternative,” I said to close my argument.

“You couldn't just have said, ‘I'm Emma, there's been a mistake?' ” he asked.

Hmmm . . . good question. I stopped and moved off to the side where we wouldn't get plowed over by people on their way to class.

“Okay,” I confessed. “The triplets threw me off my game, and I got flustered.”

Ox arched his eyebrow again.

“And then they started challenging me, and—okay—I started getting competitive.” I sighed. “Like animals that instinctively guard their own territory?” Ox smiled. He was an animal activist as well as an athlete.

“Well, that's honest,” Ox said. “I get that.”

“I may have handled it wrong,” I admitted. “Can I blame it on my bumped head? This day has been ridiculous.”

“Yeah, I was worried about you,” Ox said, his face changing to a look of concern. “Are you okay?”

Then Ox put his arm around me.

OX PUT HIS ARM AROUND ME! Was I okay? I was more than okay because OX HAD HIS ARM AROUND ME!

Now I was feeling flustered for sure. “Flustered” was definitely the accurate word for it.

Tee hee hee.

The warning bell for class rang.

“Well, I better get to PE,” Ox said. “Need to keep in shape for football. And our dance.”

Tee hee—erp. Our dance. I'd conveniently forgotten about that part.

“I better get to lunch,” I said. “Need to . . . uh . . .”

“Eat?” Ox finished the sentence for me. He took his arm back, and I came to my senses and said good-bye.

I went to my locker, and Payton was standing there waiting for me.

“You could have told me you pretended to be me for VOGS,” she whisper-hissed to me.

“I thought I'd have plenty of time,” I said. “I thought it would air at the end of school, not in the middle of it!”

“Still,” Payton said, arms crossed. “You should have told me in the JC.”

“I thought it was more important for us to change so we didn't get busted,” I said. “Then we had to be silent, remember? Then I ran into my science teacher, and I had to ask her about the homework assignment. . . .”

“Next time, before any of that, you need to tell me
that you JUST PRETENDED TO BE ME!” Payton's voice rose. People turned to look at her, and her cheeks turned pinker than the sweater we'd both worn. She lowered her voice. “I need to be prepared. Everyone is asking me about the triplets, and I have to fake knowing something.”

“I don't know much more than what you saw on VOGS,” I said. Then I lowered my voice even more. “But it was a little odd. They kept making comments about triplets being better than twins.”

“To you?” Payton asked. I nodded.

“And there was something else odd,” I mused. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but they seemed to be talking to one another in, well, twin ESP. I mean, triplet ESP.”

“But you don't believe in any of that!” Payton said. “Maybe they were lip-reading like you tried to do for your failed science project.”

“It wasn't a
failed
project. Jazmine protested it before I even made it, that's all,” I said, scowling. “Anyway their lips weren't moving. Like I said, it was all very strange.”

The warning bell rang. The hallway got loud as students raced to their classes.

“Eeps! I forgot to tell
you
something,” Payton said, slamming her locker door. “While you were being me, I
was being you. I had to do a Mathletes demonstration in the principal's office for the school board.”

“You
what
?!” My jaw dropped.

“Don't worry. I was great,” Payton said. “Have to go or I'll be late to class. Bye!”

But . . . but . . . I watched my sister hurry away. I thought about what a Mathletes demonstration by Payton would be, and shuddered. On second thought, I didn't want to think about it at all.

I had lunch this period. Although I wasn't hungry (third-period lunch), I knew I'd need sustenance to get through this kind of day. I grabbed my lunch bag and headed into the cafeteria.

“Hi, Emma!” Tess said.

I sat down next to her, in my usual seat between her and Courtney Jones.

“I was just saying how I have two of those triplets in my gym class,” Courtney said. “Cashmere tried to talk them into singing for us, but they said they only perform when they're all together. And for money. I think that was a joke.”

I wouldn't be so sure. Those triplets were a little slick.

“They look so much alike,” Tess said. “Don't you think, Emma?”

“Definitely,” I said.

“I wish I had a twin or triplet.” Courtney sighed. “Well, at least I have quintuplet hamster babies.”

Courtney was pretty into her hamsters. I'd first met her at a science fair, when her hamster had gotten loose from an exhibit. She was a contender this year for a prize, but my fiercest competition was, of course, Jazmine.

Jazmine James, who was walking by my lunch table with Hector. And stopping.

“Guess what, Emma and Courtney?” Jazmine said. “I got the final phase of my science project approved this morning.”

“It's outstanding,” Hector added.

“How's your science project coming?” Jazmine asked.

“So great!” Courtney said. “I'm getting some interesting results about the effects of music on hamsters. I'm testing whether or not they run faster on their wheels to different kinds of music.”

“I hope you're not set up next to me,” Jazmine said. “Hamsters creep me out.”

“They're cute and fuzzy,” Tess said, jumping to Courtney's defense. “I think it's an interesting idea.”

“Emma,” Jazmine said turning to me. “You're so lucky. You must have
so
much free time, while the rest of us slave away at our science fair projects.”

“Oh, I have a lot going on. You know, special projects and all that,” I said breezily. Before I could change the direction of this conversation to a discussion of our English paper (A+!), it was changed for me.

“It's Emma!” a voice yelled across the cafeteria. “We want to sit with Emma!”

The entire cafeteria turned to see who was yelling. It was Jason, with Mason and their mother, Counselor Case. The boys were carrying lunch trays. And they were heading my way.

“Looks like you have some groupies.” Jazmine smirked and walked off with Hector in tow.

“Sorry in advance for this,” I told Tess and Courtney.

“Oh, I think they're adorable!” Tess said.

“Almost as cute as my hamsters,” Courtney said.

“Yeah, they are,” I agreed. “But they're more unpredictable than hamsters.”

“Emma, guess what? We're here for lunch!” Mason and Jason ran up to me, their lunch trays precariously balanced. “Can we sit with you?”

Counselor Case hurried over.

“Boys, let Emma have her lunch in peace,” she said, and turned to me. “Sorry. The boys have a two-hour delay at the elementary school. We're killing time.”

“They can sit with me,” I told Counselor Case. I actually enjoyed Mason and Jason—most of the time. Plus, they just got rid of Jazmine James, so I felt like I owed them one. I slid over so they could sit on my bench.

“Do you mind if I run to the office?” Counselor Case said. “I'll be back in just a few minutes.”

“No problem,” I said as she left.

“Emma, did you see those new triplets?” Jason asked me. “They were in Mom's office this morning with us.”

“They look a lot alike, don't they?” I asked them, unwrapping my tuna sandwich and carefully setting the pickle I'd packed to the side.

“They have magic powers,” Mason added, digging into his hot-lunch mac and cheese. “They showed us.”

“Not magic,” Jason scoffed. “Telepathy. And telepathy isn't scientifically proven. But . . . it was spooky.”

I thought about what the triplets had done after the interview.

“What did they do?” Tess was fascinated.

“They said they read one another's minds,” Jason said, popping a chicken nugget in his mouth. “They showed us. They had a whole conversation without words.”

Hmmm. It
was
interesting what the triplets had done earlier too. While Payton and I couldn't really read
each other's minds, I often did think I knew what she was thinking. And I thought about the coincidences—twin-cidences—that Payton and I had.

“I bet we can do that,” Mason was saying. “Jase, think of something and I'll tell you what it is.”

Jason stared at Mason.

“You're thinking . . .” Mason paused and put his hands to his forehead. “You're thinking that Emma's friends are cute.”

“I was not!” Jason jumped up, his face red.

Mason raised an eyebrow.

“Mason,” I warned, “be nice to your brother.”

“Let's see if he can read your mind,” Courtney said. “For real, though.”

“Okay,” Jason stared at Mason.

“He's thinking that his mac and cheese is gross,” Jason said.

“Yeah!” Mason's eyes widened. “I was. How did you do that?”

“Really? Do you think you read his mind?” Tess asked.

“I don't know,” Jason said. “It just popped into my head.”

“It might be the nonverbal signals,” I pointed out.
“You may have seen Mason grimace, indicating he wasn't enjoying his food.”

“No, I'm the psychic twin,” Jason said. “Mason's just psycho.”

Mason stuck out his tongue. It was covered in mac and cheese. Gross.

“Easy, guys,” I said. I took a bite out of my apple.

“Try to read my mind again then,” Mason challenged Jason.

The two boys stared at each other. And stared.

“Why aren't you saying anything?” Mason challenged.

“Your brain is empty,” Jason said. “As usual.”

“Hey!” Mason said. Before we could stop him, he reached into Jason's mac and cheese with his hand and squished it around.

“Boys!” I said. “Cut it—”

“Hey!” Jason protested. He knocked Mason's hand away, and the goo from the mac and cheese flew off Mason's hand and sprayed us all.

“What the—” a voice behind us yelped. I turned around to see that Hector had mac and cheese in his hair too.

“Ew, Hector,” Jazmine said, leaning away from him. But unfortunately for her, she leaned closer to our table
just as Jason threw a chicken nugget at Mason. However, Jason wasn't known for his aim. The nugget flew past Mason and landed on Jazmine's table.

“AUH!” Jazmine screeched as ketchup splatted her.

“Woo yah! Food fight!” Mason yelled.

“No, no.” I tried to shush him. But it was too late. The words had been spoken.

“Food fight!” Someone took up the rallying cry.

Duck and cover! Duck and cover! I started to slide under the table, but it was too late. Splat! A piece of lettuce splatted on my cheek. Salad dressing dripped down onto my (Payton's) sweater.

“Food fight!” people were yelling.

Chaos! Yelling! Squealing! And then a piece of lunch meat flew over my head. Food was flying everywhere!

“Boys!” Mason and Jason were winging mac and cheese and nuggets. Please tell me I can't be held responsible for this, can I? I grasped each boy by the neck and lifted them like kittens.

“Read my mind, guys,” I growled at them.

“But that's scientifically impos—” Jason protested.

“Guess!” I cut him off, dragging both of them away from the table.

“Stop throwing food?” Jason asked.

“And get out of here?” Mason asked.

“Exactly,” I said. “Let's go find your mother.”

We maneuvered around the tables and the cafeteria aides trying to avoid the flying food and get to the door. Counselor Case rushed in just as we reached it.

“What on earth is going—?” Counselor Case started to say, but didn't get to finish. Because a carton of chocolate milk flew past her, spraying her from head to toes.

“Awes—” Mason started to say, but Jason read his mind.

“—ful,” Jason elbowed him. “That's just awful.”

Good save, Jason.